


And I, You

by Ailec_12



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: BAMF Pepper Potts, Established Relationship, F/M, Insecure Tony Stark, Light Angst, One Shot, Post-Iron Man 2, Romance, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 16:00:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19254469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ailec_12/pseuds/Ailec_12
Summary: Maybe he had become too comfortable in this new situation. Maybe that was the problem and the reason why he could not keep his mouth shut.





	And I, You

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written and posted on FF in 2015. It was beta-ed by alygator86 on that site, too.  
> Hope you enjoy reading and I'd love to know what you think. Comments make my day!

He thought it would be more complicated to find the right time —or, at least, it would take more time for either of them to find said moment. He may as well let Pepper say it first. It was not as though he was not sure of his feelings —for better or for worse, he knew he was damned a long time ago. He was just trying to avoid screwing things up by rushing them. Because oh, he was so very sure that he would end messing up everything...

He knew it was a regular step for couples in order to reassure their significant other of their commitment. Yet, whereas he was eager to prove Pepper he was serious about their relationship, he also took her silence in that respect as a sign. Who was he to question what the right time was? Surely they had not been together long enough yet for the lack of those three words to be worrying.

He wished to give her everything, but he was at a loss concerning this particular situation. It had been ages since he had been in any sort of relationship. And he was very young during those first attempts, so he regarded them as mere child’s play in comparison to what he had —what he wanted to have— with Pepper.

Thus, he would constantly be saying to himself that it was good they were taking things slowly and that letting the redhead set the pace was the wisest option. She had been remarkably good at organising his life during all those years. And yet, deep down, a not-so-small part of him was still waiting for her to open her eyes and realise whom she was committing herself to. For God’s sake, he had been introducing himself as a playboy just a few months ago. He knew he was charming and his devotion to Pepper was effortless, so maybe even a woman as successful and independent as she was felt curious about being involved with someone like him. Curiosity would fade away eventually, though, and he was afraid that not taking any further steps into their relationship was her way of showing her doubts about what she truly wanted —whether the problem was a committed relationship or Tony, he would rather not dwell on it.

Nevertheless, he was not blind. He was aware of how Pepper looked at him. How she smiled as if he was everything she needed to be happy.

_I don’t have anyone, but you._

_You’re all I have, too, you know._

Certainly, he needed her to be happy. And damn it all, was that even healthy? He hardly cared if they enjoyed the chance to wake up next to each other every morning for the rest of their lives. At the very least, she deserved having a reason to smile every day, regardless of the source.

So yes, he would let her confess her love first, whenever she felt prepared for it. In the meanwhile, he would try to push his insecurities and doubts aside and enjoy his new life. Besides, he would be ready to reply at any time, anyway. Alas, Tony Stark’s plans apparently never went the way he wanted them to.

At the moment, they had been giving this relationship thing a try for only a couple of months. He had taken her out to dinner —damn paparazzi—, she had moved into the tower —she already had a guest room there due to her crazy work schedule, so it had been more a room change than an increase in the number of hours they spent together— and they had killed whole nights by just cuddling on the couch watching movies. Little gestures that spoke without words of their wishes. Tony could not say whether they were frightened of getting hurt or of doing something that would scare their partner away. Fortunately, they had known each other for a very long time, too, and for those two months their dynamic kept flowing without putting in any extra effort. A smile or a light tough was enough to calm their silent anxieties and so, they both smiled and touched frequently, unthinkingly, trying to convey how warm their love was. And okay, ‘love’ was a word that still scared Tony a little bit, but not so much when Pepper was holding his hand.

Maybe he had become too comfortable in this new situation. Maybe that was the problem and the reason why he could not keep his mouth shut.

It had been a typical night, at least for them. They had just arrived home after attending a charity gala. Pepper was tired and had used her puppy-dog eyes to persuade him to head to bed straight away —honestly, why did everyone assume it was Tony the only one who took advantage of the infamous puppy-dog look in their relationship? It clearly went both ways.

The redhead was getting undressed when Tony came from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. Resting his cheek against her shoulder, he closed his eyes and breathed in her perfume. He let himself get lost in her: her smell, her skin, her (suddenly) unsteady breathing. He did not even realise he had opened his mouth until he heard his own voice.

“I love you.”

That was it. He stiffened right away and took a step back from Pepper. She had not said anything back. This fact dawned upon him, filling him with dread. Of course, how could she? They had just been testing the waters. There was no way that she could actually want something serious with him. And it was painfully obvious she was not ready to hear those words from him —a former playboy, current hot mess. Damn it, what good was it to be a genius if he could not know what his girlfriend was feeling?

His _girlfriend_. He had got the most wonderful woman in this world as his girlfriend and he had ruined it all.

“Pepper...” he faltered. His mouth went dry, unable to utter any other word, and he realised how terrified he truly was. His mind was already reeling to come up with ideas that would fix it, allowing them to return to their comfortable dynamic. He could not take back his declaration, though. That would be awful beyond words.

It could not have been longer than a few seconds before Pepper turned around, but for the billionaire it seemed like eternity. Her concerned gaze was fixed on him.

“Tony? What’s wrong?”

He offered her no answer, for his mind had gone blank. She was not saying the only words that would make that situation right. He gulped and she took his face in her hands with more care than he put in his inventions.

“Honey?”

It had been a really long time since anybody had called him ‘honey’ and meant it. It broke Tony, who felt his breathing quickened.

“I’m— I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“What for?” she asked in the same tone.

“For the—” It was actually a relief to be cut off, because he had not the slightest clue how to finish that sentence.

“You didn’t mean it?”

“No, of—”

“You didn’t?!” Pepper’s voice was high-pitched and filled with alarm and that was never good news. Neither was the fact that she stepped back and dropped her hands.

“Yes!” he said immediately, full of desperation and matching her yelling.

“Then, why are you apologising?”

“Damn it, Pep, because I didn’t want to rush things!”

Tony watched how tension left her body at once. She rolled her eyes, shooting him the look that meant she was thinking of what a stupid genius he was, and took a step forward. He fidgeted with his hands for a second before she took them and intertwined her fingers with his.

“Tony,” she stated seriously, although keeping her voice soft, “we’ve been in a relationship for just a few months, but we’ve been friends for quite longer. I don’t think you can rush anything by expressing your feelings.”

He swallowed and looked down at their hands, reflecting on her words —he could not decide which part had touched him the most. When he finally lifted his gaze again, the redhead rewarded him with a bright smile.

“It was actually rather sweet. I love you, too,” she added, easily.

Tony looked at her awestruck. He had really thought he had messed things up. But Pepper... It hit him then that she was as ready as he was. Suddenly, he went in for a kiss and neither of them could help a smile when their lips touched. They took their time —it was sweet, indeed, that love of theirs.

“I love you, honey,” he repeated when they pulled apart, looking her in the eye that time. It occurred to him that they should practise that pet name thing a bit more.

“And I, you.”

He had imagined that would be his line, but at the moment he was just happy that he had not waited any longer to voice how he felt.


End file.
